Doll dances, romances in Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s ‘Coppelia’

Most love triangles are complicated enough, but with a doll in the mix, things can get really messy… “Coppelia”

April 13-15

Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre

Benedum Center

Student Tickets: $15-30 with promo code PBTPITT

Faculty/Staff Tickets: $20-40 with promo code PBTPITTFS

pbt.culturaldistrict.org

Most love triangles are complicated enough, but with a doll in the mix, things can get really messy.

The Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre will present “Coppelia” at the Benedum Center this weekend. The three-act ballet tells the love story of Franz and Swanilda and their run-in with a life-like doll, while weaving together the simple lives of the village peasants with the mad creations of Dr. Coppelius.

Terrence S. Orr, the artistic director at the theatre, said the ballet arose at the end of the Romantic era in the 1870s. The story focuses primarily on the two characters in love and the games they play with each other.

Dr. Coppelius, the doll’s creator, is an old doll maker whose slightly eccentric persona has the rest of the town thinking he is mad. Obsessed with dolls, the old doctor believes he can bring his creations to life with a little bit of magic.

Coppelia, one of Dr. Coppelius’ dolls, sparks Franz’s interest and leads him to pursue the lifeless creature. Swanilda’s jealousy over Franz’s new love interest gets the best of her, and chaos ensues in Dr. Coppelius’ laboratory.

Swanilda takes the place of Coppelia and acts like a doll. After she plays her trick, Dr. Coppelius realizes he cannot bring his creations to life.

Because the ballet has been around for so long, Orr believes it has certain universal characteristics that keep audiences intrigued. The complex love story has yet to lose its compelling components, but the ballet’s real timelessness derives from the changes that have occurred over the past 140 years, he said.

“I think one of the things that makes this work is that it isn’t like it was 140 years ago. If it was, we wouldn’t want to see it,” Orr said.

Certain changes to various elements of “Coppelia,” such as technical components or more theatrical elements, have helped the ballet to grow and become more complex.

Stephen Hadala, the corps de ballet member performing the role of Dr. Coppelius, explained the comedic side of the ballet.

“It’s a really old ballet, but it’s a lot funnier. There is a lot more comedy than some of the older classics,” he said.

Hadala performs his role energetically in order to add to the comedy. He and the other two lead roles, Franz and Swanilda, have the most humorous parts in the ballet, he said. Certain funny moments lend to the ballet’s appeal.

For example, during one scene in the ballet when Swanilda pretends to be Coppelia, she slaps Dr. Coppelius in the face. These moments relate to “present-day audiences,” Hadala said.

He also uses the varying musical tones from the orchestra to assist in his performance. Charles Barker, the music director and principal conductor, conducts the orchestra that accompanies PBT’s version of “Coppelia.”

Barker, who has conducted “Coppelia” numerous times over the last 20 years, no longer has to spend weeks on preparating the score. Because he is familiar with the music, Barker can focus on illuminating certain musical components that he may have previously missed.

The music, composed by Léo Delibes, is melodic, he said.

“He was all about composing a beautiful melody. His orchestration was fine and detailed, and he tended to stick to just the strings or just the winds,” Barker said.

Barker explained that he used his harmonies in a theatrical way that is noticeable in “Coppelia,” but his music is not very complex. His simplicity leads to the music’s beauty, Barker said.

Live music also plays an important role in the ballet’s delivery. The live production creates a sense of spontaneity in the performance that can cause certain unplanned differences to arise.

“Theatre is all about the performance right now. It has to be good. It has to be different. It has to be unique,” Barker said.